Smartphone Addiction Highlighted During Moodoff Day 2014

Sydney, Australia — Moodoff Day Organizers, announced that the third annual Moodoff Day event will be held on Sunday, Feb. 23, 2014. Users of smartphones are asked to turn off their mobile devices for five hours on that day and reconnect with family. The international Moodoff Day is a non-profit organization and the event is designed to raise awareness of smartphone addiction and the risk of accidents and injuries associated with the addiction.

The unique campaign has gained support in dozens of countries including the Australia, UK, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Singapore and the US. Moodoff Day highlights the obsession many users have with their smartphones and texting while driving. Participants are requested to enjoy a morning without technology by having breakfast and reconnecting with family and friends for a few hours before browsing on their smartphones during Moodoff Day.

YouTube contains a myriad of videos featuring individuals who were injured or embarrassed while texting or talking on their smartphone. While the incidents may be appear humorous, there’s nothing funny about the resulting injuries, medical costs and lost productivity. The toll is often measured in human lives when smartphone addicts get behind the wheel of a vehicle.

The World Health Organization (WHO) categorizes smartphone distraction as a growing problem. WHO cites the inability of drivers or pedestrians to recognize potential danger when using smartphones, delayed reaction time to respond, and an overall reduction in their awareness of their environment. WHO estimates that drivers using a smartphone are four times more likely to be involved in a crash.

Smartphones are alluring and affect the pleasure centers of the brain, making them especially difficult to ignore. Smartphone addiction is a modern malady and statistics are difficult to pinpoint as no official figures have been maintained. Even though hard figures aren’t available, law enforcement officials around the world are reporting a drastic increase in pedestrian accidents that involve smartphone usage.

Individuals from pre-adolescents to seniors have fallen into fountains, off train platforms and been hit by vehicles while using a smartphone or mobile device. When a man armed with a gun brandished the weapon at passengers on a crowded train in San Francisco, CA, he didn’t even draw a glance from commuters who were all communing with their mobile devices.

Smartphone addicts can be seen around the globe, attempting to weave their way through vehicle and pedestrian traffic, head down to read their screens. According to figures collected by Queensland Police, more fatalities on the road can be traced to smartphones than alcohol, fatigue and speeding and the numbers for those using hands-free options don’t fare any better.

It’s not just talking, texting and Web surfing with mobile devices that are getting people hurt. Numerous accounts can be found of injuries caused when individuals were using their smartphones to take photos and update social media. It doesn’t matter whether the person is talking, texting, or taking photos, the potential for disaster is the same.

Smartphone usage can result in an addiction even more dangerous than alcohol or drugs. Research conducted by the Institute of Advanced Motorists in the UK showed that an individual’s response time while using a smartphone is impaired by 37.5 percent, surpassing the lack of response time by those using alcohol and marijuana.

Moodoff Day encourages individuals to turn off their smartphones and mobile devices for just five hours on Feb. 23, 2014 and spend time in the real world connecting with family. Life is short and human connections are precious. The Moodoff Day organization urges individuals around the globe to “Put down the smartphone and connect ‘cause you never know when your last interaction will be the last.”

For more information, visit the website at http://www.moodoffday.org